The Good Stuff
by Pendragon22
Summary: "You know where to find me, and this time...I can afford the good stuff. There are a few perks to being an Expert Reaper Adviser" Shepard and Garrus finally crack open that bottle and catch up. One-shot.


**The Good Stuff**

Shepard literally had to drag herself up to her cabin. She'd just returned from Sur'Kesh which had been a successful if not tiring mission. Who would have thought Cerberus would attack the tropical salarian colony. Still they were no match compared to Shepard, even with all their Reaper augmentations. But a few could still put up a good fight which why Shepard was totally beat after the mission. Now standing alone in her quiet cabin she decided to shower, and let the stress wash away.

The water was scorching hot but Shepard didn't care. It just helped her relax even more. The feeling of her muscles relaxing was invigorating. She wished she could freeze this moment and stay under the water forever. But she didn't. After 10 minutes, she turned the shower off and dried herself off with a towel. She missed the feathery soft towels back on Earth when she was incarcerated. The towels on the Normandy felt like sandpaper against her skin. With a sigh, Shepard finished drying off before changing back into her casual clothes. She kept the towel draped around her shoulders until her hair stopped dripping.

_Now what?_ Shepard thought.

She left the bathroom and stood just outside the door, observing her cabin. It seemed quieter the usual. The fish tank that housed the many varieties of fish gave off the same muted hum but today it seemed quieter. The hamster she kept in the small, glass cage never came out to do anything. She sometimes wondered if the poor thing was even alive. After standing there long enough Shepard was able to think of something that would loosen up the quiet atmosphere. She made her way down to the couch and activated her omni-tool. She sent a short message to her someone special.

_Hey Garrus. Wanna crack open that bottle upstairs in my room? Catch up for a bit? My room is eerily quiet and I could use some company._

_Shepard._

She sent the message and leaned back on her couch, waiting for a reply. Garrus always replied within a short period of time since the only thing he ever did on the Normandy was...calibrations. Shepard swore those guns got more attention than she did. Just as she predicted, her omni-tool pinged with a new message only a few minutes after she sent her message. She opened it and read it in her mind.

_I'm on my way up_.

That was his simple reply. She smiled and stood up from the couch, heading back to the bathroom. Shepard dried her hair as best she could and then brushed it down. She touched up her make-up just a bit. She wanted to look decently presentable. She left the towel in a heap on the bathroom floor and returned to the sitting area. She slid into the corner of the couch and waited, knowing Garrus would be coming soon. A knock sounded on the door.

"It's open" Shepard called out.

The soft hiss the doors all over the Normandy make echoed briefly throughout the room. Shepard heard gentle footsteps walk across the floor to the couch. It was Garrus no questions asked, holding the bottle he'd showed her the day he returned to the Normandy.

"There you are" he said.

Shepard made a motion with her hands "Here I am. Come sit".

Garrus did, coming down to the sitting area. He sat relatively close to Shepard but still gave her space. He set the bottle down on the square coffee table. Shepard shifted in her seat, getting comfortable.

"So can we both drink that or is one of us getting completely drunk tonight?" Shepard asked.

Garrus laughed softly "No we can both drink it. I made sure of that".

"Good" Shepard replied, content with his answer.

"So how are you doing Shepard?" Garrus asked.

Shepard named a few feelings "Tired. Angry. Sore".

"That doesn't sound good. What's bothering you?" Garrus asked.

"Pour me a drink and I'll answer" Shepard said.

Garrus did as he was told, pouring two glasses of the wine into the delicate glasses Shepard kept on the table. He passed the drink over respectively. Shepard took a small sip, her eyes going wide.

"Oh my God. This is...incredible. How much did it cost you?" Shepard asked.

"150 credits. Money well spent right?" Garrus said.

"Absolutely" Shepard agreed.

"So tell me. Why are you tired, angy and sore? Garrus asked.

Shepard took another sip of wine, savoring the flavour while she thought of some words.

"I'm tired because the mission on Sur'Kesh was a pain in the ass. It was long. I'm angry because Cerberus randomly showed up. Just when my day couldn't get any worse, they come and try to capture the female krogan. And I'm sore because...well...I guess that's caused by the first too. Or stress. I don't know" Shepard explained.

"I see. I agree with you though. Cerberus was defiantly being a real pain in the ass that last mission. I'm glad it was successful though" Garrus said.

"Me too" Shepard replied with a smile.

They sat in silence briefly, enjoying their drinks. Shepard broke the ice when she thought up another topic.

"So tell me about you. How was it to be back on Palaven?" Shepard asked.

"It was good actually. My family missed me, especially Solana. She'd been worried about me ever since I dropped off the grid for two years. I never told them I went to Omega" Garrus admitted.

"Why not?" Shepard asked.

"Because they'd try and stop me. Or come to Omega and find me. I couldn't let them do that. So I just kept quiet. Eventually I messaged Solana before we hit the Collector base. She told me that my mother's condition wasn't getting any better. My first order of business was to go and see her" Garrus explained.

"What happened?" Shepard inquired.

"The doctors did all they could to help her but her syndrome – Corpalis syndrome is what it's called – had affected too much. She barely remembered me when I came to see her. She could no longer remember Solana or my father. She passed on about a month after I returned" Garrus said softly.

Shepard reached out, placing her hand on top of his.

"I'm sorry" Shepard whispered.

"Thanks but I'm okay. After mom died I took action. That's when I sat down with my father and told him everything about the Reapers. If I couldn't save my mother I could at least try and save my people" Garrus said.

"You will" Shepard comforted.

"I hope you're right" Garrus said, his voice wavering.

Shepard squeezed his hand, a sympathetic look on her face. Garrus turned away, placing his glass on the table.

"Alright let's stop talking about death and the galaxy coming to an end. We should talk about something...happy" Garrus suggested.

"I don't know if there's anything happy left in the galaxy. But I know someone who makes me happy" Shepard said.

"And who would that be?" Garrus asked.

Shepard slid over next to Garrus, gently pressing her forehead against his.

"You" Shepard said with a smile.

"I feel the same way" Garrus admitted.

"It's good to have you back Garrus" Shepard said.

"It good to be back Shepard" Garrus replied.


End file.
